SxSW Scene: Fannius Has Fun at Rusty Spurs

On Saturday afternoon, Fannius, the female rapper from West Hollywood who drops a power pop beat, stands outside Rusty Spurs Saloon on E. 7th Street in downtown Austin, watches people walk around on the street, and says she wants to have "fun."

Patrick Range McDonald

Fannius

In the past three days, she and her band drove 22 hours straight in an Econoline van to Texas, played a South by Southwest show in front of a wild, drunken crowd on Friday night that, according to her bassist, wanted to "interact" with them, and replaced her rented van with a new one because the old one suddenly caught fire.

Despite all of these things, and despite the fact that she starts her gig at Rusty Spurs with only her manager standing in front of her, it doesn't stop Fannius and her six-member band from rocking out.

Fannius and the band play her songs, such as "Girlfriend" and "The Anthem," at full throttle, and soon people over at the bar are tapping their feet and some heads are bobbing by the door.

"You guys can come up here and dance with me," Fannius says.

A bunch of people listen. Guys holding bottles of beer and wearing cowboy boots walk to the dance floor. A few girls wander over, too. Fannius keeps throwing out the rhymes, and people eventually let loose. In a matter of minutes, they're singing with the female rapper.

When the set ends, a small crowd stands in front of Fannius, clapping and cheering. The rapper nods to them and smiles. In 24 hours or so, she and the band will once again take that long, 22-hour drive. For now, though, Fannius, who's still looking for a record label to sign her, has had her fun.

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.